on these changes tothelawbeforethey were introduced in state houses across the country. >> the united states of alec. and -- >>> we had a drum roll of media attention that said if you don't stop and watch the debates that night you're really missing out on an important cultural moment. >> announcer, funding is provided by, carnegie corporation of new york, celebrating 100 years of philanthropy and committed to doing real and permanent good in the world. the kohlberg foundation. independent production fund, with support from the partridge foundation, a john and polly guth charitable fund. the clements foundation. park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues. the herb alpert foundation, supporting organizations whose mission is to promote compassion and creativity in our society. the bernard and audre rapoport foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org." anne gumowitz. the betsy and jesse fink foundation. the hkh foundation. barbara g. fleischman

abortion providers. >> you find that, along with the culture of death, go all kinds ofotherlawbreaking--not following good sanitary procedure, giving abortions to women who are not actually pregnant, cheating on taxes, all these kinds of things. >> ifill: mccaskill's campaign ads remind voters of akin's comments. >> on march 16, akin said he wants to abolish the minimum wage. on april 21, said he would eliminate student loans. and on august 19, todd akin said only some rapes are "legitimate." what will he say next? >> ifill: but mccaskill has her own problems. romney is well ahead in missouri, and more than half of the voters here disapprove of president obama. she says she remains independent. >> i think the president, if he were in missouri, he would say to missourians what i hope they know about me, and that is i can be a real pain. i am not someone who does what he wants me to do at his beck and call. i have said no to him. it doesn't mean i don't support him; it just means i have a strong objective record of independence. >> ifill: akin is happy to remind voters she voted for bot